Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Virtual Book Tour: Farsighted by Emlyn Chand


(A full length, paranormal YA published by Blue Crown Press)




This review is done in conjunction with the author's virtual tour with Goddess Fish Promotions. Emlyn is giving away a $25 Amazon GC to one lucky commenter during her tour, so comment today AND follow the tour (if you click on the tour banner above, it'll take you to a list of her tour stops) -- the more you read and comment, the better your odds of winning. You could be introduced to a great new author AND win a GC!



Alex Kosmitoras’s life has never been easy. The only other student who will talk to him is the school bully, his parents are dead-broke and insanely overprotective, and to complicate matters even more, he’s blind. Just when he thinks he’ll never have a shot at a normal life, a new girl from India moves into town. Simmi is smart, nice, and actually wants to be friends with Alex. Plus she smells like an Almond Joy bar. Yes, sophomore year might not be so bad after all.

Unfortunately, Alex is in store for another new arrival—an unexpected and often embarrassing ability to “see” the future. Try as he may, Alex is unable to ignore his visions, especially when they begin to suggest that Simmi is in danger. With the help of the mysterious psychic next door and new friends who come bearing gifts of their own, Alex must embark on a journey to change his future.

*Overall Winner of the Dragonfly eBook Awards, 2011
*Best Young Adult Fiction, Dragonfly eBook Awards, 2011
*Best Debut Author, Dragonfly eBook Awards, 2011
*Winner of the Alternative Booker Award, 2011



I had a long list of expectations when I chose to review Farsighted. Thankfully, I was not disappointed. While this plot is engaging enough for adults, it definitely fits its intended age group. Not because it is juvenile, but because it should be looked at from a youth's perspective.

I loved the idea of a rune and prophecy at the beginning of each chapter. I was challenged to try to figure them out and was correct about 75% of the time. What fun! It really helped me become engaged in the story.

Alex, the boy who is the main character is wonderfully described. Though he's blind, he never comes across as handicapped or disadvantaged. The author's skill with words helped me really get what his life was like.

There are so many twists and turns in the story, you have to pay attention to what is going on. It is truly exciting and interesting. I enjoyed this story so much I could hardly wait to see how it ended. I was so completely invested in the characters I had to know how things worked out. It was exciting, scary, fun, and well worth reading. I loved watching the three main characters evolve and grow as the story progressed. Their story was told with much sensitivity.

The conclusion is frightening and full of tension, but wonderful. It was somewhat surprising, but a great ending. I have already recommended this story to some friends with children of this age. It's a wonderful tale.



Emlyn Chand has always loved to hear and tell stories, having emerged from the womb with a fountain pen grasped firmly in her left hand (true story). When she’s not writing, she runs a large book club in Ann Arbor and is the president of author PR firm, Novel Publicity. Emlyn loves to connect with readers and is available throughout the social media interweb. Visit www.emlynchand.com for more info. Don’t forget to say “hi” to her sun conure Ducky!

Author Website: www.emlynchand.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/emlynchand
Twitter: www.twitter.com/emlynchand
GoodReads: www.goodreads.com/emlynchand
Google+: www.gplus.to/emlynchand
Novel Publicity: www.novelpublicity.com
SUPER AWESOME BOOK TRAILER: http://youtu.be/tZjskE5zjzM

10 comments:

  1. Such a positive review. Good to know thank you.

    marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow, MJ, thank you for such an amazing review! I'm so glad you think it speaks to the YA audience--that's who I'm writing for after all ;-) I hope your friends's kids will enjoy Alex, Simmi, and Shapri. Keep an eye out for the second book in the series, Open Heart, due out May 25.

    And would you mind cross-posting this wonderful review to Amazon and GoodReads too? Every bit of exposure goes a long way.

    Em :-D

    ReplyDelete
  3. Great review. Even I, at age 69, like to read YA stories and this one sounds like a great story. Thanks for introducing me to Emil's book.
    Thanks for the opportunity to enter giveaway.

    misskallie2000 at yahoo dot com

    ReplyDelete
  4. This book sounds awesome. I love fantasy stories.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Emlyn...Previously, we talked about the need to find more books to engage male YAs. We've been adding a little more urban fiction to our Library's YA collection to try to appeal to the fellas.

    catherinelee100 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Catherine,

    I totally emailed you, but never heard back! Maybe a reception error? You can try me at the following addresses, and hopefully one will get through:

    emlynchand@gmail.com
    author@emlynchand.com
    emlyn@novelpublicity.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. I've heard good things about this book! Would love to read it!

    supersonic182@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. I enjoyed the blurb and the review and look forward to reading the book.
    sstrode at scrtc dot com

    ReplyDelete
  9. This sounds like a great book would love to read it! Thanks for sharing great post!
    Latisha D
    tishajean@ charter.net

    ReplyDelete

So... inquiring minds want to know: what do you think?